The quest for gaming instrumentalities which will provide greater game interest and entertainment among players who wager is an ongoing odyssey. Gaming instrumentalities, particularly "progressive" type slots machines have provided a two tiered system in an attempt to continuously stimulate players to play a primary game in hopes of winning an extraordinary progressive jackpot. However, these types of gaming machines do not vary significantly from their predecessors and can fail to maintain player stimulus as a result of the lack of interaction the player has with the game in attempting to win the progressive jackpot. As a consequence, players can become disinterested in the gaming experience and gain a perception of being a passive observer of the progressive jackpot. Furthermore, after a progressive jackpot has built up to an extraordinary level and has been awarded to a player, there is a sharp drop off in the stimulus provided to players by these progressive types of machines until the pool of money builds back up.
First and second tiered games are also known on stand alone machines or in conjunction with a cluster of machines. For example, the patent to Marnell, II (U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,057) teaches the use of a poker game or reel game for the primary game and a bingo type game as a secondary game. Certain outcomes from the primary game are reflected in the secondary game and, upon the occurrence of orienting the reflected values from the first game to the second game in a pre-agreed upon pattern (resulting in bingo), a secondary award is made to one or more players responsible for the "bingo". Thus, these types of games also fail to maintain player stimulus as a result of the player being a passive observer of the secondary game.
Thus, it would be highly desirable for a casino to have a gaming machine which provides creative interaction between a player and a game such that the player is being stimulated by active participation in the game while simultaneously anticipating an increased payout in terms of a monetary value.
The following prior art reflects the state of the art of which applicant is aware and is included herewith to discharge applicant's acknowledged duty to disclose relevant prior art. It is stipulated, however, that none of these references teach singly nor render obvious when considered in any conceivable combination the nexus of the instant invention as disclosed in greater detail hereinafter and as particularly claimed.
______________________________________ PATENT NO. ISSUE DATE INVENTOR ______________________________________ 4,582,324 April 15, 1986 Koza, et al. 4,679,143 July 7, 1987 Hagiwara 4,695,053 September 22, 1987 Vazquez, et al. 4,871,171 October 3, 1989 Rivero 5,152,259 October 6, 1992 Okada 5,318,298 June 7, 1994 Kelly, et al 5,393,057 February 28, 1995 Marnell, II 5,409,225 April 25, 1995 Kelly, et al. 5,437,451 August 1, 1995 Fulton 5,560,603 October 1, 1996 Seelig, et al. ______________________________________ FOREIGN PRIOR ART PATENT NO. ISSUE DATE APPLICANT ______________________________________ UK 2 072 395 April 30, 1981 Kennedy, et al. UK 2 083 936 March 31, 1982 Coin Operated Parts Service UK 2 222 712 March 14, 1990 Barcrest Limited JP 5-131044 May 28, 1993 Jikoki, et al. ______________________________________
The prior art listed above catalog the prior art of which the applicant is aware.